CHERUB: Light's Out
by Stormbreaker0100
Summary: The Pleasures are dead and Mrs. Jones doesn't know what to do with him. Depositing Alex Rider as Alex Wright in CHERUB, an organization of children spies, seemed better than shipping him off to Breacon Beacons to live with K-Unit, but is CHERUB prepared to deal with the world's most dangerous teenager suffering from PTSD?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Zara Asker had seen many different recruits in her job as head of CHERUB, but none quite matched the one sitting opposite her. The boy was perched on the edge of his chair as if poised for flight. His eyes were continuously wandering about the small circular office, taking in every miniscule of detail. Zara guessed he had figured out every in and out of the office.

"Nervous about something?" she asked gently.

"No, ma'am," said Alex politely. The head knew he was lying.

"Are you sure?"

Alex glanced at her. Did she know? Did she suspect that Alex had gone through what no fifteen (now sixteen) year- old should ever go through?

"I'm fine. Thank you." Zara sighed. This wasn't getting them very far.

"Alex, this is an organization called CHERUB," began Zara. "Mrs. Jones asked us to offer you a position and a recommendation coming from the head of MI6 isn't to be taken lightly." Alex said nothing.

"That was meant as a compliment," prodded Zara.

"Thank you…?" There was a small question in his tone of voice, but Zara could hardly blame him. He was, after all, speaking to the head of CHERUB, a highly secret organization.

"We would be happy to offer you a position here," continued Zara. "Mrs. Jones has already confirmed that you'll be staying here for…awhile. In that case, we would like to continue your education as well as you physical fitness. We would like to go over some tests. We're not allowed to do a physical on you, but the dentist and doctor will check you out for any abnormal things that aren't included in a physical. I know that doesn't make much sense, but in simple terms, you'll simply fill out your quota of physical exercise without medical instruments. If you'll come with me, I'll bring you to your first test." Alex followed her out. He was glad there was no physical. Even though Zara's description of things was a little confusing, he was relieved nonetheless.

"This is Bruce." Zara's voice interrupted his train of thought. "He will dual with you. I presume you know what dojo is?"

"Yes. It's a training hall reserved for martial arts," intoned Alex who was already removing his shoes and socks. Zara was impressed, but would be more impressed if Alex could defeat Bruce.

"Good. Then, you know the rules?"

"We fight until one goes down and submits. There are at least three bouts in which the winner must win the majority of them," recited Alex from memory. Zara nodded.

"I'm afraid you'll have to fight without the proper clothing," she said apologetically. Alex shrugged. He was indifferent. "Take your positions."

Alex crouched down in a defensive position and surveyed his opponent. Bruce was small, and looked to be about 13 or 14 years old. But something in Bruce's eye told Alex he was an expert martial artist. They always have the ready stance and the look in their eye that spoke, _challenge. _

Bruce moved forward in a twisting kick. Alex blocked it immediately and followed up with a kick of his own. Bruce evaded it and attempted a spinning kick in Alex's direction. Alex barely managed to duck under it. Bruce was fast. He sent a jab in Alex's direction in which was blocked by his opponent. Alex grit his teeth as pain lanced up his arm. He moved forward and sent his fist into Bruce's mouth. Bruce yelled in surprise and fell. He recovered with amazing speed and sent a fist in Alex's direction. Alex's head snapped back with the force of it.

C'mon, a voice seemed to be telling him. You've fought far more aggressive and mean opponents than a 13 year old.

Allowing the adrenaline, Alex surged forward and sent an unusually powerful spinning kick at Bruce in which caught him in the jaw and sent him to the ground. With catlike speed, Alex pinned him and found himself growling, "Submit, or I'll break your arm," in Bruce's ear. Bruce nodded shakily. Alex let him up.

Zara was surprised. Alex was the first recruit to beat Bruce. She marked that down on her clipboard and proceeded to watch the next two bouts. Again, Alex won. Bruce didn't even get to threaten dislocating a single bone. By the end, Bruce was panting in exhaustion while Alex stood tense, ready for another fight if need be.

The boy has a defense mechanism thought Zara. He's not even tired yet. Just, wary.

"Well, Bruce, you may go back to class and have the infirmary look at your injuries." Bruce scowled. Zara continued as though she never noticed anything. "Alex, you and I are going for a walk."

Zara lead him down to a small room. In the room, sat a chicken. The chicken looked miserably at Alex as though it already knew its fate.

"I want you to kill the chicken."

"No." Alex knew what he wanted. He saw the chicken trapped and restrained when only to be slaughtered later by a kid.

"But Alex, it's a chicken. It won't feel anything. Just take the pen and aim for the juncture in its neck," Zara pressured.

"No."

"Why?"

"It's unnecessary."

"But what if the chicken is dangerous?" asked Zara. Alex turned a baleful look on her.

"I don't see it attacking you or anyone else. Except, maybe its cage bars because that's what I'd be doing now. Can we please move on? I think I've passed your test," said Alex somewhat irritably. Zara sighed. The kid was good. She had to give him that.

"Let's go."

A moment later, Zara had introduced him to Paul and Arif; both at University but were on leave and volunteered to help out around CHERUB for some pay.

"Your goal is to get across the obstacle course as fast as you can," said Zara. "Go."

Paul and Arif did a double take as Alex sped away down the track. He crawled under the chicken wire easily and scaled the wall. It wasn't unlike SAS training except the wall wasn't slicked with a substance to make it harder to climb.

He dove in and out of the beams and crawled up among the ropes. He launched himself over the mud pit and monkey barred across the puddle of who knew what? Paul and Arif had drawn beside him, but they couldn't go faster than Alex.

"Jeez kid. What do you do? The triathlon?" complained Arif. Alex inwardly smiled to himself.

"Don't you wish?" he said, and sped up onto the beams. He could see the mats underneath but it was still a long way to fall if he slipped. Besides, it wasn't like he was tight rope walking across a line away from a burning skyscraper. When he reached the drop, he didn't hesitate to throw himself off it, even managing to throw in a flip or two, earning him a little scratch that stung like the devil. Arif dropped next to him and rolled.

"Whoa! That was fun! And here I thought we were going to take a stroll." Alex nodded seriously.

Why do recruits take things so literally? Wondered Arif absentmindedly as Paul dropped.

"You're pretty fast."

"Thanks." Alex shrugged. "You're pretty good too."

"Thanks kid. We've been doing this for awhile though."

"Not unlike me."

"What?"

"Nothing." Alex really didn't feel like discussing it. Zara tapped impatiently on her clipboard.

"Alex, we'd better go get your physique checked out and your IQ tests done," she reminded.

"Physique?" snorted Arif. "Probably got a six pack under there." Alex rolled his eyes.

The physique 'check up' consisted of running for as long as possible on a treadmill, or, in Alex's case, until the instructor got tired of watching him run and fell asleep.

The IQ tests were somewhat challenging seeing as though Alex hadn't exactly been in school while he was masquerading as a 'normal' schoolboy across the globe. The easiest were language, math, and science. Speaking English was easier than writing it.

"Mrs. Jones asked me to try this test out on you," said Zara. "I'm not sure why she wanted it done, but she did. Can you dismantle the gun, put it back together, and load it without blowing your foot off. Then, I want you to shoot those targets at the end." Zara pointed. She was truly puzzled why Mrs. Jones had such an odd request, but this boy was different so she went along with it.

Alex quickly dismantled the gun, and in 10 seconds, had it back together again. In a blink of an eye, he had it loaded and emptied it all into the target's bull's eye except for one stray bullet that wandered into the outer red zone.

Zara snapped her mouth shut, and said, "Let's move on shall we?"

The pool was clear. Alex could see the brick on the other side. Clothes and all, he dove in and swam down to the bottom. There was nothing to it, except maybe a minor incident:

_ "Alex!"_

_ Drowning. The water was closing in around him. The oxygen was being depleted. They meant for him die! Suffocating! Tamara Knight! _

Alex, unthinkingly, made the universal diver's sign that he was okay and grabbed the brick and swam toward the start.

Zara watched with increasing apprehension. Something wasn't right about the way Alex was swimming. He was too cautious. He even stopped for a moment. Zara wondered if he was all right until she saw him make the universal diver's signal and swim up toward the surface. She marked him down in green however, and handed Alex a dry towel.

They were back in the circular office. Alex's hair dripped down his neck, but he didn't seem to care. Zara was reading his results.

"You're physical results are very good. I see you're a superb martial artist. No many can beat Bruce in a fight, least of all, a recruit. How long have you been doing martial arts?"

"Since I can remember. My uncle got me into it," said Alex.

"Good. Now, you're resilience to interrogation is sound. Although, back talking interrogators isn't always the wisest choice."

"Sometimes, it works."

"How would you know?" Alex asked. "And what do interrogators have to do with this?" He had a very bad feeling whirling around in his gut.

"Nothing important. Teasing," Zara reminded him, unaware of the fact that Alex was a lie detector as well. "Your IQ scores were lower. Mrs. Jones mentioned you were out of school quite a lot due to illness." Her tone suggested she didn't believe a word of it. "That isn't tolerated here unless you're on your death bed." Alex nodded. He preferred it that way.

"Your language skills are good, but you're going to have to pick one outside of a Latin based language. Maybe Japanese or Russian. French, Spanish, and a little bit of German are good though. Italian could be improved on your own schedule. Moreover, your scientific and maths skills are good, but they do need a little brushing up. Your English needs a lot of help, but we'll work with you on that. Overall Alex, you'd make a good person to have around CHERUB. I'd like to be the first one to offer you a position here."

Alex couldn't shake off that feeling of foreboding as Zara offered him her hand of acceptance. Knowing, he really didn't have a choice whatsoever, Alex couldn't help but stare at it.

**A/N: I changed the Dojo thing because some of you are really getting kind of annoying and a few of you are being a bit mean about it ,and I'm sick so I kind of got fed up with it, so I hope those individuals who are being picky about it are happy (namely two of the 100 people I've talked to). You know who you are. And no...I am NOT going to change anything else in this PROLOGUE. It's a prologue. I know it's short and it's a faster moving -paced chapter than I would even like, but I'm not going to change it. My best friend said, "Get over it."**

** I've gotten some very unpleasant reviews and I ask that you guys dont send mean criticisms. Just remember every author has their own style of writing. **

**Otherwise, thank you to all of you have reviewed and supplied "constructive criticisms" which are allowed. Thanks for all of you who've supported me! It really means a lot about it! I was going to quite writing since some of you weren't being too friendly about it, but now I've written a few chapters ahead to like, 10, so I'll hopefully get those posted soon! I may give sneak peaks if I get enough good reviews. :D **


	2. Chapter 2-MissionsNot Accomplished!

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews. I stand corrected on the dojo thing. Basically, use your imagination and understand that Alex Rider is smart! I know the last chapter was slightly rushed, I promise you that the rest will be less so. Enjoy!**

Alex dumped his stuff in his room. He had his own LED 45' flat screen TV, a mini fridge stashed in one corner, and a bathroom off to the side. The room was cool and smelled new, but Alex found no comfort in it. He found the remote to the TV and flipped the news on.

He opened his suitcase and took out two photos: one of Jack, and one of Sabina and him. His heart panged. Sabina didn't live happily with him. He couldn't heal. Then, she died. And Jack-Jack was gone, too.

A knock interrupted him from his thoughts. He spun around, ready to fight.

"Hey," said the kid, leaning against the doorway. "New?"

"Yeah," said Alex, turning away.

"How'd you come here?"

"Parents killed in a plane crash. I was stuck in a boys' home and brought here." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Man, I'm sorry," said the boy. "I'm James by the way." James stuck out his hand. Alex hesitantly took it.

"Alex Wright." It was a new name, a new identity. But he was still Alex. He was the same Alex who was captured, tortured, and nearly killed on multiple occasions.

"Cool," said James. "You coming down? Our block's supposed to do a run every morning."

"Sure," said Alex dismissively.

"C'mon mate," said James, clapping him on the back. Alex glanced back into his new room before following James out. He wanted out. He wanted Jack, and he wanted to be free.

The run was easy. Training from Breacon Beacons kept Alex in shape outside of and during his missions. He was just _slightly _faster than the rest of the group, but he ran at the group's pace and even lagged to the back to avoid questions and socializing. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed that luxury.

"Hard?" asked James, falling back with him.

"No."

"Guess your heart's not in it," suggested James, throwing a sidelong glance at the new boy he considered a new friend. "Don't worry, once you're on missions and after basic training, it'll get easier. Life on CHERUB is actually better than out there." James gestured outside the fence line.

"Missions?!" Alex stopped dead in surprise. James let out a small noise as he nearly bowled into him.

"Yeah, for MI5," enunciated James. "Didn't they tell you? That's the only condition for staying on campus."

"No! No! They do not own me!" shouted Alex suddenly. His expression was murderous.

"Calm down mate," said James, shocked at the boy's vehement protest.

"No!" But Alex made an effort to lower his tone of voice. "Where is Zara?"

"Probably in her office. Why?" asked James in confusion. "Alex!"

Alex had already spun around and sprinted towards the compound.

_Hell, he's fast! thought James. _

Zara was rather surprised to see the latest recruit burst into her office unannounced. Her secretary was spluttering in fury until Zara waved her away. James panted in a moment later.

"Put Mrs. Jones on the line!" He barked. Zara frowned.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"I'm not sure you heard me the first time," he said slowly. "I need to talk to Mrs. Jones NOW!" The polite boy was gone. In his place was helluva, angry, sixteen year old.

"I can't Alex. And I don't like your tone of voice," stated Zara coldly.

"Alex, don't be an ar-" James started, but backed up real fast when Alex glared bullets at him. James felt like Alex had a laser trained on him. He was furious, and clearly upset. But about what, James had no clue.

"No. No, I will not be used again," said Alex miserably.

"Alex, calm down," Zara ordered. "James, give us a moment, will you?" James nodded and happily escaped the office. He couldn't help but feel relieved and very sorry for his boss.

Zara turned to the recruit.

"Alex?" He was staring at her, his expression empty.

_"It's all a game Alex."_

_ "-deported to America-"_

_ "Jack-no-Jack!"_

_ "-keep your classmates safe-"_

"Alex!"

He snapped out of it. "I will not be used," he said, yet again, sounding hollow.

"Used in what way?" asked Zara, attempting to placate the boy.

"Go on missions."

"Okay, Alex. I won't," said Zara simply, wondering how in the world she was going to do that. After all, that was the condition for being a member of CHERUB. Everyone contributed to the government in return for the CHERUB lifestyle. "Do you want to talk to anyone besides Mrs. Jones?"

"Why can't she talk to me? She's never refused to talk to me before," complained Alex, sounding like a teenager for a moment until the tough mask fell again. "Oh, I forgot. I must not be useful anymore."

"Don't say that," said Zara suddenly, horrified a kid could have such mentality. "Alex, do you want a counselor? Someone to talk to?"

Alex backed away, almost fearful, but remained firm in his resolve to reveal as little as possible. Zara sighed. She wasn't going to get more out of him at the moment.

"Alright Alex. If you need anything, let me know, but don't break my door down next time, please. That is totally unacceptable, and if you do, you'll be assigned to toilet duty, or dojo cleaning, or running laps until I think you've learned your lesson. Understood?"

Confidence returned to the teen's eyes and stance as he mumbled a quick, "Yes ma'am." And left.

Zara rubbed her eyes. That was a handful. The boy looked unstable and shaken up. She knew he needed help, but she needed more information.

She shuddered as she remembered how his muscles were taut with tension, and how the steely look in the teen's eyes. He looked haunted by his past and exhausted. In essence, he appeared old; older than any of the eldest kids at CHERUB: older than even some of the staff.

She snatched up her phone and dialed Mrs. Jones.

**A/n: yay! I actually finished typing this! I've been typing this on an iPad and its bugging me because auto correct is interfering with my typing so it takes awhile. Done ranting. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I was kind of spewing out thoughts so I could get a story basis down, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Thank you to wolf 77 for her contribution! And thanks to Owltalon for your support even though you weren't sneak reading it in band! **

**Also, I would like to say very unhappily that it's finals week and I don't have time to post by next week so it could be a few weeks. I'm sorry! I promise you, I'll make the next chapter loooonger! Thanks for your patience!**

_**For future reference**, CHERUB is a highly secret organization and a  
branch of MI6.  
Typical recruits are found in homes around England, but some are  
orphaned because of a CHERUB mission in which, they test to become an  
agent.  
Every agent (except Alex Rider) is required to take basic training,  
100 grueling days of living hell, before they become qualified agents.  
From there, they go on highly classified missions around the world._

Education:  
CHERUBS are offered some of the best education in the world. The  
students are required to go to school Mondays through Saturdays.  
Sundays are off. The agents are placed in classes according to skill  
level, not age. Punishments are psycho if homework is not done.

The T-Shirt System:  
Red T-Shirt: junior kids who are under the age of 10./kids who are  
unqualified for missions and basic training.  
Blue T-Shirt: trainee in basic training  
Gray Shirt: finished basic training successfully and is qualified for missions  
Navy blue: outstanding mission(s)!  
Black: done extremely well on multiple missions  
White: retired CHERUB Agent

CHERUB Characters:  
James Adams: 17 years old. Recruited at 13 when his mom died from  
Nebraska Home.  
Lauren Adams: James' younger sister. Recruited while James was away  
for basic training.  
Kerry Chang: girlfriend of James' and speaks Japanese fluently. Her  
weakness is centered in her knee from an earlier incident.  
Dana: ex girlfriend of James' for cheating on him.  
Gabriel: a good friend of James, Kerry, and Lauren. Bad blood with  
Michael who cheated on her with Dana. upset her very much.  
Michael: took care of Gabriel when she was stabbed in a gang war  
mission until he decided he could have both Dana and Gabriel.  
Zara Asker: head of CHERUB and possesses level one clearance for  
almost everything. Shes also the first woman head. Wife of Ewart and  
mother to Joshua.  
Ewart: mission controller and known to be the hardest one.  
Meryl Spencer: handler of the agents. She's the "foster" mother of them.  
John Jones: mission controller and the nicest one.  
Pike: new basic training instructor head.

That's all for now. Some of these characters have not been introduced  
yet, but they will eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am thinking of doing a companion piece but it will be separate so it can be a whole new story. This story will still have a solid ending so nothing will be affected. I miss the k unit element, so that'll be the companion piece.**

"You got off?" said James incredulously.

"Yeah," said Alex. The shocks of his new reality made him feel slightly numb. James shook his head in wonder.

"You have got the luck of the devil," he stated. "Not many get to mess with the head and come out alive."

Alex was dreading the moment when the questions would start. He didn't have long to wait. James hit the nail on the head.

"So, what was that really about?" asked James. "The truth."

"Nothing. A simple misunderstanding," said Alex easily. James let out a sigh, clearly put out.

"That didn't look like nothing to me," James paused. "At least tell me whether you're alright or not." He gave Alex a pointed look.

"I'm fine. I'd rather not talk about it." James began to object, but then thought better of it and let it drop. Alex felt relieved. He still didn't like talking about his past; especially not with a bunch of other spies who could, more than likely, see through defenses as though they didn't exist.

"Do you want a tour? As in, a real tour?" James broke the silence. Alex glanced at his new friend. He realized he was making his companion uncomfortable and agreed. The blonde spy tuned James out as he prattled on about the different recreational centers and assault course. He paid scant attention to the spiel about education, and certainly didn't want to know anything about Basic Training. Thank Charlie he didn't have to endure that!

"Ms. Cross?" James said.

"James!" said Ms. Cross, smiling at the two spies. Alex just observed her. She wore high heels and had a plaid skirt with a blouse to match. Her blonde hair was twisted up in a tight bun on her head. She wore awfully black glasses and ink black make up which lined her eyes. She reminded him of Nadia Vole. He resisted the urge to shudder. She's not THAT woman he reminded himself.

"This is Alex," James was saying. "He's a new recruit."

You mean an FNG? Thought Alex. FNG was commonly known as "fucking new guy." It was a little something he picked up in the CIA prior to being held by Sarov.

"Do you speak French Alex?" Ms. Cross asked.

"Je parle madame fran**ç**aises _I speak French ma'am_," Alex affirmed politely. "Je le parle couramment. _I speak it fluently_. Merci d'avoir pos**é**. _Thank you for asking."_

Ms. Cross' eyebrows rose at his flawless French. She was impressed. Rarely, did a student speak such graceful French besides the few native French recruits.

"Combien de temps avez-vous appris le fran**ç**ais? _How long have you been learning French?_" she asked.

"Depuis que je me souvienne. _Since I can remember._"

"Uh, Alex," interrupted James timidly. _"We...kinda have to...er...go."_

"Bien sûr. Désolé. Of course. _Sorry_," Alex said guiltily as he and Ms. Cross chuckled quietly at James' mock grimace. "Sorry, James," corrected Alex. "Forgot I was speaking in French."

"Je suppose que je dois y aller. Merci et heureux de vous rencontrer. _Guess I gotta go. Thank you and pleased to meet you_." Alex shook her hand, but quickly dropped it, and followed his friend.

James observed Alex as he gave more rundowns of the plumbing of CHERUB and how the organization was run. He soon realized that Alex's heart just wasn't in it. The only place the other teen seemed to take an interest was in the Mission Control room. Other than that, the teen lapsed into a silence that only James could seem to fill. But even a spy has limits and James was running out of things to say.

"_Look, you're not the first one who hasn't wanted to be here. A lot of people drop and go into foster care."_

_"Alex!" Sabina tried again. "Don't shut me out again. Please." "Nothing's the same Sabe. I'm alone...I always will be."_

_"No!"_

_-Scene Change-_

_"They're dead Alex-" No! The Pleasures!_

_"Don't know what to do with you-"_

_Jack is gone...my fault!_

_"-have no one left-"_

_"Now, you're truly alone."_

"Alex?" James peered closely at his friend. Even if he called the boy a friend didn't exactly mean the other teenager held the same definition.

Either way, there was something weird about the kid. He didn't just appear dead; he radiated death. That, in turn, made James want to shiver. There were lots of depressed kids at CHERUB, but this recruit seemed much different. James couldn't put his finger on it, but didn't really want to pry...too much. The kid's stance told him, he could cut him down without sweat. James didn't really want to test him.

"Sorry," apologised Alex. Despite his mood, Alex was as polite as ever. "Guess, I'm just tired. Can we do this tomorrow instead?"

"Okay," assented James. "Can you make your way back?"

"Yeah," sighed Alex.

As soon as Alex closed the door to his room, he stripped off his shirt and sat on the bed with a huff, unconsciously rubbing his chest. The scar left from where the bullet entered his heart a year ago still bothered him. If he exerted himself too much, it would throb and cause his breathing to become hitched. If he pushed himself too far, it caused hyperventilating.

Reluctantly, Alex dug into his unpacked bag and withdrew several bottles, and threw them into drawers and under the mattress. He lived with spies. He'd better get used to hiding stuff.

He unscrewed his pain meds and swallowed two pills. He grimaced and wandered over to the mini fridge. He popped open a can of coke and flicked on the news.

"We switch to live footage of the wreck of the subway bombing which caused a count of at least 68 deaths," a reporter announced. The screen flicked to an image of smoking wreckage.

"Yes, isn't it a disaster Mae," commented Mae's associate. "The police said it was a bomb packed with enough C-4 to blow a plane. The police supposedly had intel of the attack and evacuated most of the civilians out in time. The attack was supposedly initiated by the new terrorist group, Alam."

At that, Alex felt a stirring of unease, but he brushed it off. Alam was new. It has nothing to do with Scorpia; however, there was still that niggle of doubt in Alex's mind as he continued to watch the news. He realized his breathing was coming out in small gasps. With irritation, he reached under the mattress and pulled out his inhaler. It would do no good to begin having an anxiety attack at dinner. Three puffs later, he was fine and dived into his bag to retrieve his gray sweat pants. He pulled a sweatshirt and black CHERUB issued t-shirt over his head.

A quiet assurance from Mrs. Jones to Zara about Alex's qualifications as an agent had Zara grudgingly agree to give Alex the black t-shirt. What Mrs. Jones didn't know, was that Zara did it merely to throw the irritating MI6 head off her back.

Throwing his tennis shoes on, he stepped cautiously out into the hall. A ruffled looking James came down the hall.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Alex nodded. James motioned for him to go first, but Alex quickly shook his head. He liked James but he was nowhere near to trusting him yet. Besides, growing closer to people was dangerous. It simply meant more pain and hurt from loss. Somehow, everyone near him seemed to wind up dead and he had to watch it.

Dinner was supposed to be a quiet affair. Unfortunately for Alex, the prospect of shitting up a new recruit about Basic Training seemed to be tradition so, naturally, Alex got a lot of unwarranted attention. Despite the disturbing descriptions of Basic Training, Alex couldn't help internally smirking. How was training with K-Unit less grueling? How was being sent on missions at fourteen any less disgusting?

"I don't have to go through Basic Training," he finally said. The babble ceased immediately.

"What?!" A babble of voices broke out and cries of outrage could be heard.

"Why not?"

"Not fair!"

"What makes you so special?"

When Alex couldn't stand it for a minute longer, he said, "I've already been in dangerous situations. They figured I didn't need any training."

"What kind of dangerous situation?" asked a blonde haired kid called Dante. He had a slight Irish accent.

"My dad was an important official. Well, he wasn't exactly well liked," said Alex uncomfortably. Dante nodded, getting the gist, but he had a slight frown on his face.

"Wait, what happened?" said James. Kerry, James' girlfriend, elbowed him sharply. James let out a small yelp.

"Get over it," she snapped. "And don't be an insensitive git." Realization dawned and James sent an apologetic glance toward Alex. The other teenager merely nodded at him.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as James and Kerry changed the topic of conversation away from him. At least his cover held…for the moment. He would have to be careful though. Alex Wright had better NOT make a mistake.

He twisted his head toward the clock. As he did so, his neck gave a twinge, which sent a spark of pain down toward his back. He bit his lip, and ignored it. He should really take his pain medication, but he hated being reliant on any form of medication and decidedly ignored his body's signals.

"Are you going to eat any of that?" asked James. Alex snapped his head back and clamped down on his tongue to stop from gasping.

"No. I think I'll just go take a walk. This is…a lot to process," said Alex, glad that his voice was even. He feigned a nervous teenager and dumped his food into the recycling bin. Behind his back, James exchanged a look with Kerry, and moved to follow Alex.

The teenager was already out the door. He could just make out Alex's silhouette in the darkness. He was heading towards the assault course. Carefully, James followed the spy across CHERUB's grounds. Something told him that his decision to follow Alex was a really bad idea. But part of him was curious. Just where was Alex going?

Alex knew someone was stalking him. He didn't know who and he didn't stop to look. Instinct kicked in and he kept walking resolutely towards the assault course. He wished he had listened to James' gab about the assault course, but it seemed to provide enough cover and a strategic layout toward effectively getting rid of his stalker.

He threw his head back as if enjoying the nice cool air and sighed loudly. Letting his head drop to his chest, he snuck a quick peek past his armpit to glance at the shadowy figure flitting in and out of cover. A flicker of annoyance flashed through Alex. They could've been more inconspicuous about following him. Ah, the easier it will be to evade and dispose of them.

He climbed the brick wall, hoisting himself up and over with the help of the rope. He quickly dived under the chicken wire and lay still and waited. His pursuer appeared over the wall and glanced around cautiously.

Alex's breathing slowed and quieted as the figure began deciding which way he'd gone. Seeming to shrug to himself, the shadow moved off toward the mud pit. Alex slowly rose to follow. Now the pursuer became the victim.

James was confused. Alex had disappeared over the wall and then permanently seemed to disappear. He shook his head in confusion and decided to backtrack from the mud pit. Alex was out for a walk, not to go sightseeing.

He just appeared up the hill when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He opened his mouth to say something when a hand lashed out and he was efficiently swept off his feet in one sweeping motion. The hand clamped down on his throat and a voice said, "Don't move or I will kill you. Understand?"

James garbled out a yes.

"Why are you following me?" came the menacing voice. James recognized that voice.

"Alex?" he coughed out. "Alex, it's me. James," he clarified a second later.

Horrified, Alex let James up. He retreated, his back against the wall. He was shaking. Why James? He thought. Why did you have to be so foolish?

"I'm sure there's a perfectly logical reason for almost killing me," said James ruefully, slightly shaken up.

"You were following me," said Alex defensively. "I don't like to be stalked."

"So, what really happened that allows you to skip Basic Training?" asked James, joining him.

"Classified."

"No way," said James in disbelief. Alex glared at him, furious with himself.

"James, please leave it be. I just...don't want to talk about it," said Alex, once again feigning the typical scared recruit. James shook his head vigorously.

"You nearly killed me. You owe me an explanation," he snapped suddenly. Alex wilted inside.

"I've…I've had to kill before," he whispered, fumbling wildly for a reason for his behavior, hoping he could still pull off the average scared recruit. "When they came for me because of my family…they killed the agents and I had no choice. I…had to do something. The defense…it's always been there. I'm so sorry." James softened. Alex eyed him fearfully and it wasn't completely a fake one either. But his stalker seemed to buy his story and even clapped him on the back.

"Sorry, man," he muttered. "I didn't know. Look, I've had to kill before, too. I didn't really have a choice either." James looked slightly uncomfortable. Alex allowed himself to relax slightly both in relief and for the sake of his recruit persona.

"We have counselors here. They'd help if you need anything," suggested James. Alex immediately protested, "It's okay, really. I've…I've got a counselor already. No, really, I'm fine."

"Well, if you need anything…" James allowed the sentence to hang. Both boys slid heavily down to the cool ground. They sat there for a while, saying nothing, feeling the cool night breeze wash over them. Eventually, Alex began fidgeting. He didn't mind the silence but he longed to be alone. Luckily, at that instant, the sounds Kerry's calling could be heard.

"Duty calls," muttered James, rising stiffly to his feet. Alex internally smiled, but it quickly faded. No, I will not think of Sabina, he told himself firmly.

Alex accompanied James back towards the compound.

"And they're alive," muttered Kerry sarcastically. "Welcome back. Alex, Meryl Spencer wants a word with you."

"Meryl Spencer?" said Alex in confusion.

"Her office is down the hall near Zara's," Kerry explained patiently. "Block A: A223."

"Okay," said Alex. "Catch up with you later then."

It wasn't hard to find Meryl's office. He quickly memorized the layout of the building. Block A was the first building. The rooms inside were labeled beginning with the letter A and then a number.* Same with Blocks B and C.

He quietly knocked.

"Come in."

"Alex?" Meryl asked. Alex's eyes immediately began scanning the room as he took a seat. There was one door; one-way out. There were cabinets pushed against the walls and a few personal photos decorated the tops of them. a desk was placed a little to the side of the room and a few chairs sat opposite them.

"Take a seat." Alex hesitantly took a seat. "You're not in trouble so you can relax," she told him with a smile.

She misunderstood. Alex wasn't nervous. He was simply ready to flee if need be. It was an instinct that he didn't think she would understand.

"I called you in because our conversation is long overdue. I'm Meryl Spencer, your handler.'

"You mean mission controller?" interrupted Alex bluntly. Meryl patiently looked up at the ceiling.

"Yes."

"Great," muttered Alex under his breath. Meryl pretended not to notice.

"Now, there are a few things to take care of. Your name, I've been told, has already been changed. So, we'll skip to money. You'll be given an allowance each week-"

"My uncle left me some money. I think the BANK forwarded my account to you." The word, BANK, left a bitter taste in his mouth. Meryl nodded.

"Zara mentioned something about that. You'll be allowed to withdraw a little bit at a time. We'll set some aside for when you're old enough to go to university."

"Ian already set up a trust fund and there's a separate account that you probably don't know about for university," Alex told her. He failed to mention the emergency account Ian left him. Hopefully MI6 decided to allow him the privilege of keeping that a secret.

"You seem to know everything already," said Meryl in mild surprise. Usual recruits didn't know much about their own statuses. Alex just gave her a look. OF COURSE I KNOW. WHAT DID YOU THINK? it said.

"Okay, I guess that leaves classes. We assessed your tests.* They're a little below than what your age level should be at." She held up a hand to forestall his protests. ''I was already informed of your recent absences at Brookland. I'm sorry about your parents, but at CHERUB, we have counselors to help. When we think you're ready, you'll be sent on a few low-key missions. It has come to my attention that you're not required to experience Basic Training, but we expect your level of fitness to be kept up to its full potential."

"I already told Zara. I will NOT go on missions," said Alex hotly. "I don't care about the physical exercise. I can deal with that, but I will NOT go on missions!" Alex found himself on his feet. How did he do that?

"Hmm," said Meryl. She decided not to mention Alex had little choice if he wanted to stay at CHERUB. "Let me talk to Zara. Now, take a seat."

Grudgingly, Alex took his seat and stared back at Meryl. She met his gaze easily.

"Now, back to your schedule. You are an advanced martial artist. First Dan: impressive," she added. "We'll keep improving your skills there, however. Bruce, I believe you already met him, may be the best partner. If not, one of the older students or instructors."

Alex was still silent. He had his arms crossed over his chest in a rather pouty teenager style. He failed to mention his unorthodox manner of fighting. What could he say? He was used to staying alive. Rules were meant to be bent.

"You also need to pick a language. I'm aware that you know a few languages. Care to list them?"

"Spanish, French, and little Italian," he said hesitantly. Alex wasn't fond of listing off his capabilities. He felt vulnerable doing so.

"Okay. That sounds cool. See, we like it when our agents know at least one non-Latin based language. For instance, Kerry was taught Japanese. Her ethnic group is Asian. James took Russian."

"Well, I knew a little Japanese, but I guess I could take Russian, too," said Alex apprehensively.

"Well, you already know some Italian and some Japanese. Why don't you begin self teaching Italian and go with Japanese?" suggested Meryl.

"I guess."

"Great. I'll tell the trainer to give you a list of physical exercises for each day until we can nail down a schedule that is right for you. Your last doctor dropped us a note saying that you are on pills for being sick recently as well as being on PT?"

"Yeah."

"You'll continue that with the doctor. He's from MI6, I believe. You'll get your schedule tomorrow after breakfast if you'd head down to the Rec. Center. Other than that, that's all for now. Alex." She caught the boy as he rose. "Some of the kids call me their mum. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Sure," he lied. What else could he say?


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello All!**

**Since the last chapter I have posted, so much has happened! **

**I have had what is commonly known as Anorexia and I have had a little battle with depression (i.e. cutting, etc.) Now, I am eating properly and have a better sense of self- esteem; however, I need some time to rest and some time to heal. So, TEMPORARILY, I am going to take a break from writing and dedicate some more time toward self-discovery and my social life with my friends. Thanks for being patient and I will be back eventually, but it may take some time! Keep a heads up for a new chapter! It may come sooner than you think! **

**Best Regards,**

**Stormbreaker0100**


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